Building construction element



June? 1938- v G. F. KOTRBATY 19,

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION ELEMENT Original Filed July 5, 1955 VIIIIIIIIIIII/III/I ifikmmlllylllmmlllllllllm 27 5 5 so so INVENTOR. GUY F. KOTRBATY BY MEMW ATTo N s Patented June 7, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION ELEMENT Guy F. Kotrbaty, New York, N. Y.

7 Claims.

This invention relates to building construction elements including side wall keying members and structural composite post and stanchion sections formed therewith.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 29,820, filed July 5, 1935, for Composite construction members, which application is a division of my Patent No. 2,017,441 of October 15, 1935, the said patent being a continuation in part of Patent 1,965,601 of July 10, 1934, which latter patent is, in its turn, a division of Patent No. 1,877,898 of September 20, 1932.

The specific details of my improvements having been set forth in the application above referred to, they will be presented here solely for the purpose of establishing the cooperative relationship between the several features, in order to more clearly illustrate the patentable novelty of the several parts in their specific structures and in their combinations as previously set forth.

The examples shown are given merely by way of example, for since the underlying principles may be incorporated in other specific structures, it is not intended to limit the constructions to the forms shown, except as such limitations are clearly imposed by the appended claims.

In the drawing like numerals refer to similar parts through the several views of which Figure 1 is a perspective of a side wall keying member;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of abutted and joined walls, including the composite stud and key members herein; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, the side wall keying members being shown in elevation.

Referring more specifically to the drawing there is shown in Fig. 1 a novel side wall keying member designated generally by the numeral [0. This member comprises a rail or head portion H, usually of arcuate section and having edge portions I2 rounded and turned inwardly, as at 13, to form flange sections adapted to cooperate with auxiliary keyways of self-supporting building grid units in a manner to be described more in detail hereinafter. The member I9 is provided with a central or web section having spaced walls l4 and terminating in angular bottom flanges l5 forming the base of the rail-shaped lateral keying member. The sections 15 are provided with edge beads I6 continued inwardly and generally parallel to the sections [5 to form bottom supports or flanges I'I having a central longitudinal aperture or gap therebetween. The key member 10 is preferably made of sheet metal of suitable gauge thickness, of the order of I! to 26 wire gauge, depending on the stud or stanchion construction with which it is to be associated as a composite keying and structural supporting member. Due to the longitudinal slot l8. and the Renewed November 3, 1937 spacing of the web parts 14 and the base flanges I! a spring-gripping efiect is given to the member and assures the perfect locking grip when slid or driven into keying position in angularly abutted building members as will be described in further detail hereinafter.

The novel side wall keying member hereinabove described, is particularly adapted to be used to secure angularly disposed wall members 20 to like members disposed at angles thereto and usually forming part of a continuous wall construction. The self-supporting structural building units 29 may comprise spaced panel sections 2!, spaced apart and secured by end-supporting and keying members 22 having central key-receiving sections 23 adapted to receive spring-keying members of suitable shape and configured to the keyways, and designated generally by the numeral 39. The end keyway sections 22 are provided at their ends with edge clipping sections 24 adapted to receive and secure panels 21 as by crimping or to be secured to the same as by welding, brazing or soldering, as well as by mechanical means such as bolts and nuts and rivets. The edge clipping sections 24 form, with the central web sections 25 of the end sections 22, recesses or channels 26. Auxiliary keyways 2'! are formed by the juxtaposition of abutted inner channel sections 26 of abutted and mutually interlocked grid units 29. These channel sections and the resultant keyway 21 formed thereby, serve to receive the head section II of the keying member In, the beads or edges I2 of the rail section engaging the inner side of the clip flange-securing sections 24 and the body of the head ll fitting into the auxiliary keyway 21. The inner flange sections or bottom of the head portions l3 of the head section will serve as points of support for the novel keying member and bearing surfaces for the same. The base section of the keying member [0 will fit into a suitably conformed key- Way or keying section 23, being engaged therein in a spring-gripping relationship due to the expansion of the same along the line of the iongitudinal slot 18 causing the base portions I! to approach each other. By suitably conforming the parts to permit a driving grip into the keyways 23 the longitudinally arranged wall members 20 may have like angularly arranged wall members 29a secured thereto in permanent interlocked relationship without requiring special constructions to permit the same to be carried out in an efiicient manner.

The several wall sections or self-supporting building units may be provided with insulating fillers 49 of any suitable material. The usual plastic surface finishes 50 may be applied to the wall surfaces, although preformed surfacings may also be used. In this connection the panellings 2| of self-supporting units may be formed of finished. materials which do not require plastic surfacings thereover.

The auxiliary keyways 21, and particularly These several building members are designated generally by the numeral El.

position in and on the buildingsby nuts 62 cooperating with thebolts 601 The usual washers 53 may be also used. Where desired, the bolt head 66) may be ground flat on two sides to permit the passage of themembers'into the channels or.

keyways 27, after which the bolt may be rotated through a quarter turn to hold the same in position against the sections 26 causing them to be firmly seated when the nuts 52 are tightened'in place. I

It will beseen thatby the provision of the auxiliary keyways 21, together with the improved side wall keying members Iii, lateral or partition wall structures may readily be secured tomain walls and building services, including fire-escapes, porch supports, and the like, may also be fixed in permanent relationship to the wall members and without requiring extra constructions or special equipment. I I

It will also be noted that due to the particular construction and arrangements of parts, including the novel keying'members and associated keyways adapted to cooperate therewith, extra structural strength'is built into and incorporated in building joints, whether in main walls or at points of juncture or-joining of said walls to main walls. Thus, instead of the points of abutment of self-supporting building units forming points of Weakness in'a building structure, the incor- V poration of auxiliary side wall keying members in cooperation with other like members and/or with keying members and associated keyways of main wall sections, all being madeof suitably conformed sheet metal stock, the maximumof structural strength and rigidity is secured and vertical structural members of composite constructions are simultaneously formed and made use of, 'I'he composite stud assemblies involve a maximum of structural strength with a minimum forms.

' of'metallic material and, at the same time, impose no drawbacks or difiiculties in the way of architectural design features. In addition, standard keyways or building unit end'sections'of relatively light-gauge metal may be used, and variations in vertical strength of column sections may be taken care of by varying the gauge thickness of the sheet metal used in forming the auxiliary keying members l0, as Well as that of the main keying members, here designated by the numeral 3E).

It will now be appreciated that there has been provided novel structural building members, including spring-gripping auxiliary or side wall keying members of generally rail shape, adapted to' fit in and engage suitably conformed keyways in the ends of self-supporting building units, as well as to engage the auxiliary keyways in the side of such building unit ends, whereby to permit the angular juxtaposition and locking of side wall building units to main wall units Without requiring the interposition of special structural While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed and are pointed out in the They may be held annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made'by those skilled in the art without depart .ing from the spirit of the invention. 7

What I claim is:

1.' A sheet metal lateral keying membercomprising a head section and a generally flat foot section and an intermediate web section, the head section being of flattened arcuate configuration, the web section being formed of spaced, parallel portions terminating in edge flanges bent on themselves to form the foot portion of the. member, the said head'and foot sections being several- 1y adapted to fit in and engage conformed keying sections in juxtaposed building unit members.

2. An angular wall joint construction, including linearly aligned building units having keying members therein and centrally thereof, together with auxiliary keyways formed at the edges of the abutted units, an angularly disposed'iinit abutted against the juncture of the first said units, and expansible keying means having a double-walled, generally flat, flanged foot engagher, the head, web and flanged foot being formed I of spaced sections, and the head being of generally semi-cylindrical crosssection.

4. A sheet metal keying member for building units joined at right angles to a wall section, comprising a generally rail-shaped structural member, the head, web and flat flanged foot being formed of spaced Walls; the head being 'of generally semi-cylindrical cross-section, and the flanges of the flat foot being divided by a continuous longitudinal slot.

'5. Asheet metal keying member for building units comprising an elongated structure having spaced'sides of unequal sides, one of said sides forming a semi-cylindrical, relatively narrow head portion, and the other said side forming a substantially fiat flanged foot section, both of said sides severally forming keyway-engaging sections, and anintermediate Web section joining and integral with the sides, the said several sections having spaced walls.

6. A sheet metal keying member for building units comprising an elongated structure having spaced sides of unequal sides, one of' said sides vforming a semi-cylindrical, relatively narrow head portion, and the other said side'forming a substantially flat flanged foot section, both of said sides, severally forming keyway-engaging sections, and an intermediate websection joining and integral with the sides, the said several sec-- side sec- GUY F. KOTRBATY. 

